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DATE : 2013-08-29
Arkema restarted its 90,000 tonne/year Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) plant in Rho, Italy this week, following a three-week planned maintenance turnaround, a source at the French-headquartered specialty chemicals producer said on Thursday.
“Everything went okay, we restarted production as scheduled,” the source said.
SOURCE : Icis News
Arkema restarted its 90,000 tonne/year Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) plant in Rho, Italy this week, following a three-week planned maintenance turnaround, a source at the French-headquartered specialty chemicals producer said on Thursday.
“Everything went okay, we restarted production as scheduled,” the source said.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE : 2013-08-29
Ascend Performance Material's 500,000 tonnes/year Acrylonitrile (ACN) plant was shut down briefly on Wednesday due to a power outage, sources said on Thursday.
There was no release of any harmful material, sources said. There was minimal disruption to production, and the plant was reportedly starting back up on Thursday morning.
Unigel Mexico also restarted its 60,000 tonnes/year ACN plan in the Morelos petrochemical complex in Veracruz, Mexico on Thursday, sources said. The plant had been shut down since 12 August for routine maintenance. The 545,000 tonnes/year INEOS plant in Green Lake, Texas, remains shut down for routine maintenance and is expected to restart in the next two weeks.
SOURCE : Icis News
Ascend Performance Material's 500,000 tonnes/year Acrylonitrile (ACN) plant was shut down briefly on Wednesday due to a power outage, sources said on Thursday.
There was no release of any harmful material, sources said. There was minimal disruption to production, and the plant was reportedly starting back up on Thursday morning.
Unigel Mexico also restarted its 60,000 tonnes/year ACN plan in the Morelos petrochemical complex in Veracruz, Mexico on Thursday, sources said. The plant had been shut down since 12 August for routine maintenance. The 545,000 tonnes/year INEOS plant in Green Lake, Texas, remains shut down for routine maintenance and is expected to restart in the next two weeks.
SOURCE : Icis News
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Belchim Crop Protection granting an exclusive license to develop, register, manufacture and sell the patented fungicide valifenalate in mixtures in North America, Latin America and some select countries outside of the Americas.
"We are pleased to add another fungicide to our expanding suite of patented products now available around the world. With targeted acquisitions like this one, FMC continues to diversify its crop protection portfolio in a manner that delivers more value to growers," said Mark Douglas, president, FMC Agricultural Solutions.
Approved for use on high-value crops such as grapes, tomatoes and other vegetables, valifenalate is a dipeptide-class fungicide effective against various types of mildew. It is currently marketed mainly under the brand name Valis. FMC expects to offer valifenalate mixtures for immediate sale in Latin America followed by other regions soon after.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About FMC
FMC Corporation is a diversified chemical company serving agricultural, industrial, environmental, and consumer markets globally for more than a century with innovative solutions, applications and quality products. In 2012, FMC had annual sales of approximately $3.7 billion. The company employs approximately 5,700 people throughout the world, and operates its businesses in four segments: FMC Agricultural Solutions, FMC Health and Nutrition, FMC Minerals, and FMC Peroxygens. For more information, visit www.FMC.com .
SOURCE FMC Corporation
"We are pleased to add another fungicide to our expanding suite of patented products now available around the world. With targeted acquisitions like this one, FMC continues to diversify its crop protection portfolio in a manner that delivers more value to growers," said Mark Douglas, president, FMC Agricultural Solutions.
Approved for use on high-value crops such as grapes, tomatoes and other vegetables, valifenalate is a dipeptide-class fungicide effective against various types of mildew. It is currently marketed mainly under the brand name Valis. FMC expects to offer valifenalate mixtures for immediate sale in Latin America followed by other regions soon after.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
About FMC
FMC Corporation is a diversified chemical company serving agricultural, industrial, environmental, and consumer markets globally for more than a century with innovative solutions, applications and quality products. In 2012, FMC had annual sales of approximately $3.7 billion. The company employs approximately 5,700 people throughout the world, and operates its businesses in four segments: FMC Agricultural Solutions, FMC Health and Nutrition, FMC Minerals, and FMC Peroxygens. For more information, visit www.FMC.com .
SOURCE FMC Corporation
DATE : 2013-08-28
South Africa’s Sasol Acrylates will stage a brief shutdown on its crude acrylic acid (CAA) unit in October, a source from the company said on Wednesday.
“We will have a very short shutdown in October for approximately five to seven days on CAA to do a reboiler exchange,” the source said.
“Our butyl acrylate (butyl-A) and ethyl acrylate (ethyl-A) [output] will not be affected, as we will use stored CAA to see the ester units through the CAA outage, so [there will be] no effect on our supply,” the source added.
Sasol Acrylates is based in Sasolburg in Free State province, South Africa, and has the capacity to produce 80,000 tonnes/year of CAA from the facility.
SOURCE : Icis News
South Africa’s Sasol Acrylates will stage a brief shutdown on its crude acrylic acid (CAA) unit in October, a source from the company said on Wednesday.
“We will have a very short shutdown in October for approximately five to seven days on CAA to do a reboiler exchange,” the source said.
“Our butyl acrylate (butyl-A) and ethyl acrylate (ethyl-A) [output] will not be affected, as we will use stored CAA to see the ester units through the CAA outage, so [there will be] no effect on our supply,” the source added.
Sasol Acrylates is based in Sasolburg in Free State province, South Africa, and has the capacity to produce 80,000 tonnes/year of CAA from the facility.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE : 2013-08-28
Japan’s Nippon Shokubai is operating its 80,000 tonne/year Acrylic acid (AA) unit in Cilegon, Indonesia, at around 90% capacity after commencing operations on 20 August, a company source said on Wednesday.
It plans to ramp up the production level at the new facility to 100% in September, the source added.
SOURCE : Icis News
Japan’s Nippon Shokubai is operating its 80,000 tonne/year Acrylic acid (AA) unit in Cilegon, Indonesia, at around 90% capacity after commencing operations on 20 August, a company source said on Wednesday.
It plans to ramp up the production level at the new facility to 100% in September, the source added.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE: 2013-08-28
Butyl Acrylate (butyl-A) sales control at Germany-based chemicals major BASF will remain in place until the end of September, a source from the company said on Wednesday.
“It will be extended during the entire month of September,” the source said.
BASF implemented force majeure on butyl-A on 13 June because of production problems at its 110,000 tonne/year Ludwigshafen facility in Germany. It was lifted on 21 June and sales control was put in place.
SOURCE : Icis News
Butyl Acrylate (butyl-A) sales control at Germany-based chemicals major BASF will remain in place until the end of September, a source from the company said on Wednesday.
“It will be extended during the entire month of September,” the source said.
BASF implemented force majeure on butyl-A on 13 June because of production problems at its 110,000 tonne/year Ludwigshafen facility in Germany. It was lifted on 21 June and sales control was put in place.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE : 2013-08-28
Taiwan’s Formosa Petrochemical Corp (FPCC) will restart its 160,000 tonne/year butadiene (BD) unit at its No 2 cracker this weekend after shutting it unexpectedly on 26 August, a company source said.
The 160,000 tonne/year BD unit at the 1.03m No 2 cracker was shut due to technical issues, the source added.
FPCC has three BD units, with a total capacity of 450,00 tonnes/year at its three crackers at Mailiao, Taiwan.
SOURCE : Icis News
Taiwan’s Formosa Petrochemical Corp (FPCC) will restart its 160,000 tonne/year butadiene (BD) unit at its No 2 cracker this weekend after shutting it unexpectedly on 26 August, a company source said.
The 160,000 tonne/year BD unit at the 1.03m No 2 cracker was shut due to technical issues, the source added.
FPCC has three BD units, with a total capacity of 450,00 tonnes/year at its three crackers at Mailiao, Taiwan.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE: 2013-08-28
Foreign firm may get 20-25 per cent shar ONGC Petro additions Ltd (OPal) has again started its hunt for a suitable partner for its Dahej petrochemical complex. This time, it is in talks with Saudi Aramco.
Sudhir Vasudeva, chairman & Managing Director, ONGC, and Chairman, OPaL told Business Line the first round of introductory and exploratory discussions has taken place.
But, the oil major is yet to start due diligence. “No timeline has been fixed as yet,” another source said.
ONGC is the principal promoter of OPaL. The other partners are GAIL (India) and Gujara State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC).
ONGC holds 26 per cent stake in this venture, formed to set up the complex at the Dahej special economic zone.
Five per cent stake is with Gujarat State Peroleum Corp and Gail (India) has 15.5 per cent.
The promoters have to tie up equity for the remaining 53.5 per cent. A foreign firm may be given 20-25 per cent. In 2010, OPaL had attracted the interest of Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) with suitable premium on valuation. However, the talks fell through due to differences over price.
Players such as PIC and Saudi Aramco had earlier declined offers for stake in Indian refinery-cum-petrochemical projects as they wanted auto fuel distribution rights as well, which was not possible as only public sector entities are eligible for Government subsidies.
Whether this has changed now remains to be seen, industry observers said.
GAIL had originally decided to pick up 19 per cent in the project but after the project cost was revised to Rs 19,535 crore, it decided to restrict participation to 17 per cent. Subsequently, it restricted its holding at 15.5 per cent in the project.
Initially, the 1.1 million-tonne plant was estimated to cost Rs 12,440 crore. The project cost was in 2010 revised to Rs 19,535 crore and further revised to Rs 21,396 crore with December 2013 set as the commissioning date.
The project is likely to be completed by 2014.
Products
The Dahej petrochemical complex would comprise global scale cracker and downstream polymer plants. OPaL will use C2-C3 (ethane and propane) compounds extracted from imported liquefied natural gas to make polymers. ONGC is looking for someone who can sell the polymers the plant makes.
The plant would produce 1.1 million tonnes of ethylene, 340,000 tonnes of propylene, 135,000 tonnes of benzene and 95,000 tonnes of butadiene per annum. These products are used as source materials in the plastics industry.
SOURCE : The Hindu Business Line
Foreign firm may get 20-25 per cent shar ONGC Petro additions Ltd (OPal) has again started its hunt for a suitable partner for its Dahej petrochemical complex. This time, it is in talks with Saudi Aramco.
Sudhir Vasudeva, chairman & Managing Director, ONGC, and Chairman, OPaL told Business Line the first round of introductory and exploratory discussions has taken place.
But, the oil major is yet to start due diligence. “No timeline has been fixed as yet,” another source said.
ONGC is the principal promoter of OPaL. The other partners are GAIL (India) and Gujara State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC).
ONGC holds 26 per cent stake in this venture, formed to set up the complex at the Dahej special economic zone.
Five per cent stake is with Gujarat State Peroleum Corp and Gail (India) has 15.5 per cent.
The promoters have to tie up equity for the remaining 53.5 per cent. A foreign firm may be given 20-25 per cent. In 2010, OPaL had attracted the interest of Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) with suitable premium on valuation. However, the talks fell through due to differences over price.
Players such as PIC and Saudi Aramco had earlier declined offers for stake in Indian refinery-cum-petrochemical projects as they wanted auto fuel distribution rights as well, which was not possible as only public sector entities are eligible for Government subsidies.
Whether this has changed now remains to be seen, industry observers said.
GAIL had originally decided to pick up 19 per cent in the project but after the project cost was revised to Rs 19,535 crore, it decided to restrict participation to 17 per cent. Subsequently, it restricted its holding at 15.5 per cent in the project.
Initially, the 1.1 million-tonne plant was estimated to cost Rs 12,440 crore. The project cost was in 2010 revised to Rs 19,535 crore and further revised to Rs 21,396 crore with December 2013 set as the commissioning date.
The project is likely to be completed by 2014.
Products
The Dahej petrochemical complex would comprise global scale cracker and downstream polymer plants. OPaL will use C2-C3 (ethane and propane) compounds extracted from imported liquefied natural gas to make polymers. ONGC is looking for someone who can sell the polymers the plant makes.
The plant would produce 1.1 million tonnes of ethylene, 340,000 tonnes of propylene, 135,000 tonnes of benzene and 95,000 tonnes of butadiene per annum. These products are used as source materials in the plastics industry.
SOURCE : The Hindu Business Line
DATE : 2013-08-28
China’s Jilin Petrochemical plans to shut its 106,000 tonne/year No 2 acrylonitrile (ACN) plant in Jilin for maintenance in the first half of September, a company source said on Wednesday.
The maintenance shutdown is expected to last for about 10 days, the source said, but it did not disclose the exact shutdown date.
The shutdown may incur an output loss of about 3,000 tonnes, the source added.
The company owned three other plants at the same site. The No 1 unit has a capacity of 106,000 tonnes/year, whereas the No 3 and No 4 units have a capacity of 120,000 tonnes/year each.
The No 1 unit remains off line, the source said without disclosing further details, while the other three units are running at 80% capacity.
The company plans to raise the operating rates at the No 3 and No 4 units to 85-90% when the No 2 unit is shut, the source added.
SOURCE : Icis News
China’s Jilin Petrochemical plans to shut its 106,000 tonne/year No 2 acrylonitrile (ACN) plant in Jilin for maintenance in the first half of September, a company source said on Wednesday.
The maintenance shutdown is expected to last for about 10 days, the source said, but it did not disclose the exact shutdown date.
The shutdown may incur an output loss of about 3,000 tonnes, the source added.
The company owned three other plants at the same site. The No 1 unit has a capacity of 106,000 tonnes/year, whereas the No 3 and No 4 units have a capacity of 120,000 tonnes/year each.
The No 1 unit remains off line, the source said without disclosing further details, while the other three units are running at 80% capacity.
The company plans to raise the operating rates at the No 3 and No 4 units to 85-90% when the No 2 unit is shut, the source added.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE : 2013-08-26
Syngenta announced today it has received federal registration for Vibrance® seed treatment fungicide for more than 30 additional crops, including corn.
Vibrance contains Sedaxane, which is from the SDHI class of fungicides and is the company's first active ingredient developed specifically for use as a seed treatment. The revolutionary chemistry unlocks the power of root health by providing ideal soil mobility and enhancing biotic/abiotic stress management. This RootingPower results in stronger, healthier roots, which help build a powerful foundation for robust yield.
In field corn, Vibrance will be sold in combination with the market-leading Maxim® Quattro seed treatment fungicide. Maxim Quattro currently combines the active ingredients mefenoxam, fludioxonil, azoxystrobin and thiabendazole. With the addition of sedaxane, the Vibrance/Maxim Quattro combination will provide best-in-class Rhizoctonia activity.
"Vibrance demonstrates the continued commitment to seed treatment innovation at Syngenta," said David Winston, Seedcare product lead. "This addition to our diverse portfolio further strengthens our ability to protect seeds and seedlings against disease, which otherwise may impact yield potential negatively."
In addition to field corn, Vibrance received EPA approval for sweet corn, popcorn and forage corn, as well as sorghum and dry beans. The EPA previously approved Vibrance for use on cereals, soybeans and canola. It is already available as part of the following solutions: Avicta® Complete Beans applied with Vibrance, and CruiserMaxx® Beans applied with Vibrance in soybeans, CruiserMaxx Vibrance Cereals and Vibrance Extreme in cereals, and Helix Xtra® applied with Vibrance in canola.
SOURCE : 4-Traders.com
Syngenta announced today it has received federal registration for Vibrance® seed treatment fungicide for more than 30 additional crops, including corn.
Vibrance contains Sedaxane, which is from the SDHI class of fungicides and is the company's first active ingredient developed specifically for use as a seed treatment. The revolutionary chemistry unlocks the power of root health by providing ideal soil mobility and enhancing biotic/abiotic stress management. This RootingPower results in stronger, healthier roots, which help build a powerful foundation for robust yield.
In field corn, Vibrance will be sold in combination with the market-leading Maxim® Quattro seed treatment fungicide. Maxim Quattro currently combines the active ingredients mefenoxam, fludioxonil, azoxystrobin and thiabendazole. With the addition of sedaxane, the Vibrance/Maxim Quattro combination will provide best-in-class Rhizoctonia activity.
"Vibrance demonstrates the continued commitment to seed treatment innovation at Syngenta," said David Winston, Seedcare product lead. "This addition to our diverse portfolio further strengthens our ability to protect seeds and seedlings against disease, which otherwise may impact yield potential negatively."
In addition to field corn, Vibrance received EPA approval for sweet corn, popcorn and forage corn, as well as sorghum and dry beans. The EPA previously approved Vibrance for use on cereals, soybeans and canola. It is already available as part of the following solutions: Avicta® Complete Beans applied with Vibrance, and CruiserMaxx® Beans applied with Vibrance in soybeans, CruiserMaxx Vibrance Cereals and Vibrance Extreme in cereals, and Helix Xtra® applied with Vibrance in canola.
SOURCE : 4-Traders.com
DATE : 2013-08-23
Dow Chemical restarted its acrylic acid (AA) and butyl acrylate (butyl-A) production at its plant in oehlen, Germany, last weekend, a source from the company confirmed late on Thursday. “Boehlen restarted last weekend is expected",” the source said. “Everything is fine.”
The turnaround began in he second week of July. Dow has an annual AA capacity of 80,000 tonnes/year, and can produce 40,000 tonnes/year of butyl-A from its Boehlen facility, in Saxony.
SOURCE : Icis News
Dow Chemical restarted its acrylic acid (AA) and butyl acrylate (butyl-A) production at its plant in oehlen, Germany, last weekend, a source from the company confirmed late on Thursday. “Boehlen restarted last weekend is expected",” the source said. “Everything is fine.”
The turnaround began in he second week of July. Dow has an annual AA capacity of 80,000 tonnes/year, and can produce 40,000 tonnes/year of butyl-A from its Boehlen facility, in Saxony.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE : 2013-08-26
Lucite International has resumed operations at its 100,000 tonne/year Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) plant in Shanghai early in the week ended 23 August, company sources said late on Friday.
The plant, which uses the acetone cyanohydrin process to produce MMA, was unexpectedly shut down two weeks ago because of production issues.
Lucite International is a subsidiary of Japanese producer Mitsubishi Rayon Co (MRC), which is one of the largest MMA producers in Asia.
SOURCE : Icis News
Lucite International has resumed operations at its 100,000 tonne/year Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) plant in Shanghai early in the week ended 23 August, company sources said late on Friday.
The plant, which uses the acetone cyanohydrin process to produce MMA, was unexpectedly shut down two weeks ago because of production issues.
Lucite International is a subsidiary of Japanese producer Mitsubishi Rayon Co (MRC), which is one of the largest MMA producers in Asia.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE : 2013-08-26
Thailand’s PTT Asahi Chemical (PTTAC) has reduced the run rate at its 70,000 tonne/year Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) plant in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, to about 70% capacity, because of a technical issue at the unit, company sources said late on Friday .
It is not known when the plant will resume operating in full capacity, but according to the company sources, the plant is expected to run at the reduced rate for several months.
PTT Asahi Chemical is a joint venture of Asahi Kasei Chemicals, PTT and Japanese trading firm Marubeni.
SOURCE : Icis News
Thailand’s PTT Asahi Chemical (PTTAC) has reduced the run rate at its 70,000 tonne/year Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) plant in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, to about 70% capacity, because of a technical issue at the unit, company sources said late on Friday .
It is not known when the plant will resume operating in full capacity, but according to the company sources, the plant is expected to run at the reduced rate for several months.
PTT Asahi Chemical is a joint venture of Asahi Kasei Chemicals, PTT and Japanese trading firm Marubeni.
SOURCE : Icis News
DATE : 2013-08-23
Summary : The sleekest, most efficient electronic product is nothing without the battery that powers it. Enter lithium, the raw material battery manufacturers depend on. With electric/hybrid vehicle use on the rise and demand for consumer electronics steadily climbing, lithium producers with quality product should have no shortage of potential buyers. In this interview with The Energy Report, Luisa Moreno, mining and metals analyst with Euro Pacific Canada, names her top lithium picks with both the goods and the customers.
http://www.resourceinvestor.com/2013/08/23/2-ways-to-capitalize-on-accelerating- lithium-deman?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+resourc einvestornews+%28Resource+Investor%29&t=critical-material
SOURCE : RESOURCE NVESTOR
Summary : The sleekest, most efficient electronic product is nothing without the battery that powers it. Enter lithium, the raw material battery manufacturers depend on. With electric/hybrid vehicle use on the rise and demand for consumer electronics steadily climbing, lithium producers with quality product should have no shortage of potential buyers. In this interview with The Energy Report, Luisa Moreno, mining and metals analyst with Euro Pacific Canada, names her top lithium picks with both the goods and the customers.
http://www.resourceinvestor.com/2013/08/23/2-ways-to-capitalize-on-accelerating- lithium-deman?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+resourc einvestornews+%28Resource+Investor%29&t=critical-material
SOURCE : RESOURCE NVESTOR
DATE : 2013-08-23
China has launched an anti-dumping probe into imports of Indian tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), an organic compound used in the food industry.
The commerce ministry said it has received requests from domestic TBHQ producers, accusing Indian manufacturers of dumping the product in the Chinese market and calling for an inquiry.
The ministry will consider whether Indian companies have sold TBHQ at an artificially low price in China and any consequences that the action may have brought to Chinese businesses, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. The investigation is expected to take at least a year, and may be extended to February, 2015.
TBHQ is an aromatic organic compound widely used in the food industry as anti-oxidant for vegetable oil, many edible animal fat, roasted food, fried food and other meat products.
It is also used as a stabiliser for insecticide as well as an intermediate for dyes and pharmaceutical. This is the second anti-dumping probe on Indian imports by China this month .
On August 14, China launched an anti-dumping probe against the single-mode optical fibre imports from India.
SOURCE : Financial Express
China has launched an anti-dumping probe into imports of Indian tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), an organic compound used in the food industry.
The commerce ministry said it has received requests from domestic TBHQ producers, accusing Indian manufacturers of dumping the product in the Chinese market and calling for an inquiry.
The ministry will consider whether Indian companies have sold TBHQ at an artificially low price in China and any consequences that the action may have brought to Chinese businesses, state-run news agency Xinhua reported. The investigation is expected to take at least a year, and may be extended to February, 2015.
TBHQ is an aromatic organic compound widely used in the food industry as anti-oxidant for vegetable oil, many edible animal fat, roasted food, fried food and other meat products.
It is also used as a stabiliser for insecticide as well as an intermediate for dyes and pharmaceutical. This is the second anti-dumping probe on Indian imports by China this month .
On August 14, China launched an anti-dumping probe against the single-mode optical fibre imports from India.
SOURCE : Financial Express